Making Yourself Smile

I wonder sometimes whether psychology is the biggest friend that we have, or the ultimate hoax. There are counsellors throughout the world who utilise psychology to help those in times of need, and then there are ‘motivational gurus’ who often, in my opinion, destroy people by inciting the pursuit of unattainable fantasy.

We have all seen or heard the voices which tell us to ‘reach for the sky’ or ‘achieve the impossible’. I may be naive, but I would have thought that if we could reach the sky, we would all be the height of skyscrapers, and were the impossible in our reach, it would not be impossible.

I spoke previously about the difference between dream and fantasy, speaking about a motivational theorist who came up with the rather stunning newsflash that “there’s been confusion between what’s a dream and what’s a fantasy. A fantasy is a good-to-have, while a dream is a must-have.” Again I find myself having to confirm that it’s positive to chase a dream, but not a fantasy. Thanks for that really useful piece of information. I wonder how much kudos he actually receives from his readers, or how much is a result of his own self-perception, using his model of positive thought?

Now not for a moment am I condemning motivational speakers. Ambition, desire and motivation are essential in life. However, I find myself consistently amazed by those who equate everything in life to ‘positive thought’. Evidently, fate and nature’s process does not apply to them. I am positive as an individual, but am grounded enough to realise that things in life often happen that are beyond our control.

It is one of the key reasons why we live in a contemporary society where stress is ubiquitous. In a world where material well-being, the perfect family and social status are constantly preached, is there any wonder that so many find themselves mentally destroyed in their quest to achieve this utopia?

This week alone, I have spoken to at least 3 close friends of mine who have spoken of a combination of stress, anxiety and lack of confidence. They are all genuine in their thoughts and such victims of a society that seems to have completely forgotten the importance of the simple pleasures in life.